I'm sorry, but has this contest gone down the drain? No offense Borek, but I don't see why way more people have voted for yours than the other, more artistic photos...

Besides what cristo has mentioned, this isn't JUST a contest on "artistic" merit. You could have the most gorgeous photo, but if it doesn't quite resonate with someone with regards to the intent of the theme, it should not win the contest. Borek's picture is not lacking at all in the "curiosity" factor and has as much of a claim to win this contest as the other pictures.

I will also remind you that this contest is done for fun. If you start taking this way too seriously and resort to belittling member's entries, then I would suggest that you stop participating in it completely.

I'm thinking that Borek's contraption might be a totalizer (counter), and the positions of the little offset knobs can be read from some sort of scale (1x and 10x). Every pull on the toggle increases the count by one. Pulling the cord from the looped end resets the counters.

Staff: Mentor

Funny thing is that my first idea was that - judging from age - you have the highest chances of knowing. I don't know your exact age, but you are definitely older then me. I am a little bit too young, those younger then me are almost completely out of luck

Staff: Mentor

Geez, I have problems with explaining how it works in Polish and I have to try in English

It is a razor blade sharpener. Unfortunately, I don't have a razor blade of the correct type to show how it fits inside. You put the blade in, close the thing, and pull the rope here and back again. Blade is moving in small circles on those eccentric things inside. Green things are a very fine sharpening stones, or more like polishing stones. They are on springs and their "teeths" fit between those of the other side, so that blade is worked on on both sides at the same time.

Back in 70-ties this type of razor blade was still quite popular here, but I believe they were already of the type that could be not sharpened due to the type of steel used; I can be wrong though. As we were lagging behind I suppose in 70-ties you (in US) were already mostly using those razors in which blade is not a separate piece of metal, but piece of metal put into plastic. So only those that have started to shave earlier know this type of blade, and sharpeners are even older